Archives: Low Income & Poverty

(Washington D.C., May 21, 2013)—John Trasviña, Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will be leaving HUD on May 21, 2013 to become Dean of the University of San Francisco School of Law. Assistant Secretary Trasviña has served in the Obama administration since 2009 when he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. Under his leadership, FHEO has undertaken perhaps the most significant steps to ensure equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people across the country of any federal agency in history.

Statement by NCLR Policy Director Maya Rupert, Esq.
(Washington D.C., January 2, 2013)—Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a settlement agreement in a claim it brought against Bank of America for discriminating against a lesbian couple applying for a federally insured mortgage loan. This settlement marks HUD’s first enforcement action taken under its recently enacted LGBT Equal Access Rule.

Statement by NCLR Federal Executive Director Kate Kendell, Esq.
(San Francisco, CA, October 11, 2011)—On October 9, 2011, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill—AB 641—that provides same-sex spouses and registered domestic partners of nursing home residents the same financial protections available to opposite sex married couples. The groundbreaking law protects Californians in same sex relationships from losing access to joint financial resources, such as bank accounts or stock, when their partner or spouse applies for the Medi-Cal long-term care benefit.

Assembly Bill 641 Extends Financial Protections for Medi-Cal’s Long Term Care Benefit to Same Sex Spouses and Registered Domestic Partners
(Sacramento, CA, September 9, 2011)—The Legislature has given final approval to legislation authored by Assembly Member Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) that would provide same sex spouses and registered domestic partners of nursing home residents the same financial protections available to opposite sex married couples. Without these protections, Californians in same sex relationships risk losing access to joint financial resources, such as bank accounts or stock, when their partner or spouse applies for the Medi-Cal long term care benefit.